Dr. Jauad El Kharraz is the CEO of WECEN (water-energy-climate expert network), a consultancy firm focusing on water, energy and climate projects. He has been the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) from Oct 2021 to Sep 2024. Dr. El Kharraz is bringing over 25 years of experience in various sustainable energy fields including energy policies, wind and solar technologies, and green hydrogen in addition to water management, desalination, water-energy-food nexus, climate change, and environment. Prior to joining RCREEE, Dr. El Kharraz has been a senior consultant for several prestigious institutions and programs, and he held the position of Director of Research at the Middle East Desalination Research Center in Oman (2015-2020). He is also a Senior Desalination Expert with FAO and UN ESCWA, and a Senior Associate for the Italian Climate Think Tank ECCO, the European Climate Foundation and IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development, and Co-coordinator of TERAMED initiative as well as the Mediterranean Climate and Clean Energy Network, and also a senior expert, advisor, and evaluator for several international institutions (e.g., European Commission, UN-ESCWA, PRIMA Foundation, GWP-Med, EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, NRGI, IME, etc.) and he is former member of board of the European
Desalination Society, and AgreeMed project. He is also member of the International Desalination and Reuse Association, the Mediterranean Water Institute, Oman Energy Majlis, and Oman Water Society, and Vice President of the Water Embassy (France).

Dr. El Kharraz sustainability career officially started in 1998 as a researcher at the Global Change Unit -University of Valencia and projects manager later at the Euro-Mediterranean Water Information System, France (2004-2015). Through his journey, he coordinated, prepared, and contributed to an important portfolio of international programs/projects of millions of euros, such as FP5-FP7, H2020, ENPI CBC Med, INCO MED, INCO NGOs, SMAP, LIFE, PRIMA. He carried out projects for national and international donors such as GIZ, SIDA, IsDB, TRC/Oman and USAID apart from private sector companies. He chaired and contributed to the development of an important number of scientific papers, policy briefs, policies, training & mentorship activities, lectures, awards
ceremonies, and events (e.g., World Economic Forum, World Water Forum, World Science Forum, World Urban Forum, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, MENA Europe Future Energy Dialogue, World Hydrogen Summit, Planetary Security Initiative, Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue Conference, International Higher Education Conference, COP26, COP27, COP28, COP29, etc.) in more than 60 countries.

Dr. El Kharraz is a national of Morocco and France, and a graduate of the University of Abdelmalek Essaadi. Dr. El Kharraz obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in Physics from the Department of Earth Physics and Thermodynamics, University of Valencia, Spain, and a Diploma in enterprises management and strategies from SKEMA Business School, France. He is a fluent French, Arabic, Spanish and English speaker.
https://wecen.org/dr-jauad-el-kharraz/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jauade/

Session title:
Energy Transition Pathways in the Arab Region: Unleashing a Sustainable Future

Abstract:
The Arab region, encompassing 456 million inhabitants (5.6% of global population) with a 3% annual growth rate and 59% urbanization, possesses 55% of world oil reserves and 24% of gas reserves, yet faces escalating energy demands (6.3% annual electricity growth over 15 years) amid economic expansion (4.5% GDP growth). This presentation examines pathways for energy transition, emphasizing renewable energy (RE) deployment, green hydrogen prospects, and waste-to-energy (W2E) integration to foster sustainability, reduce pollution, and preserve biodiversity. By 2024, regional RE installed capacity reached approximately 30 GW, a 119% increase from 2020, dominated by photovoltaic (PV) at over 7 GW and wind at 3.9 GW, with leaders including the UAE (2.4 GW PV), Egypt (1.6 GW PV), and Morocco (530 MW CSP). Ambitious targets exceed 200 GW by 2035, exemplified by Djibouti's 100% RE goal, Morocco's 52% share by 2030, Saudi Arabia's 130 GW by 2030, and Egypt's 59.7 GW by 2035. Competitive bidding in 16 countries has achieved record-low prices (e.g., 1.04 ¢/kWh in Saudi Arabia's 600 MW Fasiliyah PV), supported by public-private partnerships and international funding.
Emerging green hydrogen initiatives position the region as a global leader, with projections of 17.6 million metric tons production by 2030, including Saudi Arabia's NEOM project exporting green ammonia from 2025, UAE's National Hydrogen Strategy, and Oman's large-scale electrolyzer developments. These leverage abundant solar resources for electrolysis, diversifying economies and enabling exports while mitigating carbon emissions. Complementing this, W2E projects address waste management challenges; for instance, Sharjah's plant processes 300,000 tons annually (expanding to 450,000 by 2025), offsetting CO2 and generating power, alongside Oman's Barka WTE (3,000 tons/day) and Bahrain's Askar (390,000 tons/year, 25 MW). Such integrations reduce landfill dependency, curb methane emissions, and support ecosystem health.
Despite progress, persistent high energy intensity (above European averages), substantial subsidies (USD 75 billion in 2020 for nine countries), and limited bankable projects hinder advancement. The presentation advocates multi-stakeholder governance, blended financing, and innovations like energy storage and e-mobility, emphasizing RE and green hydrogen's role in decarbonization, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable development across fragile contexts.